A Magical Nightmare
by SimbaFan
Summary: The Wizarding World has never been more integrated into Muggle society than it is now on the Sprawl. When Byron discovers a secret of Unitology that nobody but the leaders are supposed to know, it could unleash Hell itself upon the people of the Sprawl.
1. Prologue

The elevator clunked down, down, down, deep into the confines of the U.S.G. Ishimura. I was curled uncomfortably in the corner, sobbing like a pathetic child. Mere moments ago, I had been accompanied by two surviving friends. Now, however, they were probably nothing more than heaps of bloody tissue and organs, or worse, lumbering mindless monsters. We had been attacked by no less than five of the infested demons the second we reached the elevator doors. Four of the monsters descended so quickly on my friends, I had no idea what was going on. That is, until one of the remaining creatures charged at me and rammed me into the elevator. My left shoulder caught on a sharp piece of debris protruding from a broken panel in the elevator. The pain had been excruciating, but I had mere seconds to think fast and save myself before the creature came to seal my fate. Pulling my wand out, I used the Severing charm on the creature's legs before blasting the 'Down' button. And now, here I sat, curled in the fetal position, sobbing my eyes out in the corner of an elevator, on the ship from Hell itself.

The elevator jolted to a stop and the doors opened to complete blackness. I didn't want to get up. I wanted to sit in this corner forever and wait for somebody to come and rescue me. I couldn't go on any more. And yet, I knew that there was nobody coming. The distress call had been sent out a week ago and there had been no help sent, whatsoever. The only method of survival was to push forward to the escape-pod bay and pray that there was enough power to get one blasted out into space.

I _had_ to keep going. It was the only way to survive. They were gone, and sitting here like a child, sobbing in a corner wasn't going to help anything.

I stared up into the black hallway. As if fear hadn't already gripped my heart enough, it now squeezed painfully. Trying to compose myself and stem the flow of tears, I used the wall to stand myself up on my shaky knees. I pointed my wand forward into the blackness.

"Lumos."

The wand tip ignited, instantly throwing the narrow hallway into an eerie, shadow-filled glow. Panels and pipes were ripped from the walls and ceiling, casting more irregular and terrifying shadows. Slowly, I moved forward, beads of sweat sliding down my face. The shadows undulated down the hall with my movement and they set my already shaky nerves on edge. It made it more difficult for me to tell what was moving and what was just a shadow. My breathing was shallow and short and my head was spinning slightly. My eyes darted this way and that, staying sharp for any sign of movement. I kept my ears open, desperately hoping that if any of them were near me, they'd give themselves away audibly first. But the only sounds I could hear were my own sharp breaths, my deliberately quiet footsteps, and the steady _drip drip drip_ of my own blood as it ran down my arm from the considerable gash in my left shoulder.

The hallway suddenly came to a sharp turn. I stopped dead in my tracks. Did something just skitter down the hall around that corner? My stomach bottomed out. Flashes of the monsters plagued my mind as I stood frozen at the corner. Horror after horror, nightmare after nightmare, they invaded my mind, each one more devilish than the last. Soulless, emotionless, horrid monsters with only one thought in their dim-witted minds; prey.

By now, I was breathing faster, and my heart was pounding a hole through my ribs. I tried to stem the flow of gory images from my mind and instead, started to muster up the courage to turn that corner. After a moment, I breathed in deep, held my wand ahead of me, and stepped out.

There was nothing. Just another disaster-ridden hallway.

I exhaled. My heart slowed for a moment.

_One corner down…just another couple hundred or so to go. Why does the damn escape pod have to be so far away?_

I didn't have time to answer that question however. The panel in the ceiling ahead of me crashed down as one of the monsters fell clumsily out of it. It looked like one of the common ones I'd dealt with before, but that didn't make it any less frightening. At ten feet tall, it looked like a man, but incredibly disfigured, decaying, and nightmarish. The face was horribly unhuman. The jaw was missing, the eyes were wide and lidless, and they glowed a horrible yellow color, not unlike that of pus. The arms were disfigured as well, as if they had been forcefully shoved up to the shoulders in an upright position, and instead of hands, the ends sported long, bone-like spears.

The startled scream that escaped my lips got the creature's attention, and within a fraction of a second, it had righted itself and was lumbering towards me.

"DIFFINDO!" I cried, slashing my wand in the creature's direction. The spell sliced diagonally through the monster's head, cutting it in half, but it didn't slow down one bit. Instead, it roared in defiance and charged at me even faster.

"DIFFINDO!" I screamed again, deliberately pointing at the creature's leg. This time, it worked. With a sickening sound, the leg was sliced off in a spray of blood. The monster came crashing down, face first. But it still continued to come at me, using its' spear-like hands to drag itself towards me, moaning and growling all the while.

Desperate, I sent spell after spell at the creature until finally, it lay subdued on the ground, with no limbs to move itself with at all.

I paused for one brief moment to catch my breath, the darkness starting to envelope me once more. I ignited my wand tip, but it didn't do very much good. Suddenly, an idea came to me. I directed my wand at the corpse of the monster before me.

"Incendio!"

Instantly, the cadaver burst into flames, and the entire hallway was brightly lit by the orange flames.

As were the four massive creatures at the end of the hall.

The flames caught their attention immediately, and they started to sprint in my direction. My heart now beating violently in my throat like a drummer on the front lines, I pointed my wand at them, now knowing that my efforts had been for nothing.

* * *

><p><strong>Soooo...I'm trying something new here. For the last three years, I've been focused (mostly) on writing Lion King stories. Now I've been wanting to try something new, but I couldn't figure out what. That is, until I discovered Dead Space. And then with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 released so soon to this discovery, the geek in me combined with the new Dead Space fanboy and created...this. Or rather, what this soon will be. I have quite a few ideas to put into play with this story, and I really hope to turn it into something not only believable, but enjoyable as well. And possibly scary, if I can manage it. At the same time, I'll be balancing writing this with writing my other story "Pride of Man Remastered". So updates will probably be slow for quite some time. But I hope you'll stick through it!<strong>


	2. A Glimpse of Hell

**Chapter 1 – A Glimpse of Hell**

"Cheak! How many times do I need to remind you to take your utility belt? How on earth are you going to fix anything without your tools? God, what kind of idiot are you? You know, if you pulled that kind of shit back in my day, you'd be…"

I wasn't particularly interested in the old man's rant or what I would have been thirty years ago. Nor did I care that he thought I was an idiot. I knew better. After all, what use does a wizard have of muggle tools? Their technology was impressive from time to time, but it was still primitive, limited, and pointless when pitted against magic. But still, the Ministry's laws decreed that in order for our society to remain secret, appearances had to be kept up. With a sigh, I turned around to face the supervisor who was still ranting away about my irresponsibility.

"...you got to be the captain's right-hand mechanic when you're so irresponsible is beyond me! You're not even experienced with a plasma cutter! When you lose an arm due to carelessness and inexperience, nobody will bat an eye or feel sorry for you because it'll be your own damn fault!"

"Yes sir." I replied dully, unlocking my locker and pulling out the unused utility belt. "My own damn fault."

"Are you getting smart with me, Cheak?"

"Not at all, sir. I wouldn't want to confuse you."

And before he could muster up the anger to respond, I strode out of the locker room and down the hall to the bridge.

If I really wanted to, I could have just silenced him with my wand or even modified his memory, but I hadn't learned the locations of all the cameras on the ship yet. So I couldn't risk accidentally being caught with my wand out yet. I'd been transferred to the U.S.G. Mactire three months previously. Once a powerful war ship fifty years ago, it was now used as a patrol ship to watch and inquire any unscheduled vessels coming to dock at the cracked moon of Titan.

I hated the ship the moment I stepped onboard. I hated being alone. I hated going someplace new after staying on the same ship for seven years. I hated being so far away from the Sprawl, the central hub of Titan. And I particularly hated being outnumbered. For every wizard on this ship, there were about twenty muggles to match. With a crew of roughly about 700 men and women, it was intimidating to be such a minority. And of those muggles, about eighty percent of them were exactly like the blithering idiot I had just left behind; opinionated, self-righteous, overblown, and generally possessing a bad attitude. I had been transferred into the position of Captain's Personal Mechanic, a position that many people on the Mactire coveted. Many of them had been working their way up through position after position for years just for a chance. But it was me who got the job. Me, a 23-year-old kid from a completely different ship on the opposite side of the Sprawl. As far as the muggle crew members were concerned, I was the 'new kid' on a very 'well oiled' ship that I had no place on. Everything I did was wrong, despite the fact that I easily completed every job the captain assigned me. From what I could gather, everybody felt that my presence was unneeded. Everybody, that is, except my own kind.

The wizards and witches I encountered were particularly warm to my presence. Most people on this side of the Sprawl were out of the loop of what was going on, mainly because the Mactire spent so much time on the move around the cracked moon. So people were hungry for news from the outside world. Many of them would catch me on my way to different jobs the captain assigned me and ask me what was happening there, though there wasn't much to report. EarthGov, the muggle government, kept everything they did under wraps until the plans were put into action. It was an ongoing debate in politics how to handle the fact that this side of fifty years, our stored basic resources would be depleted. Usually the dispatched plans would be packaged as something new, when in fact it was the exact same plan they'd done for years; send out a new ship or crew to a newly discovered planet to mine for resources.

As for the Ministry of Magic, their main focus was dealing with radical witches and wizards attempting to reveal our world to the muggles. They called themselves "The Unveiled". The Unveiled felt that our reliance on muggle technology was pointless since magic could easily take care of us. If anything, they believed that muggles should be relying on us for survival. An ongoing debate between The Unveiled and the Ministry was that eventually the resources would all be depleted and muggles and wizards alike would die. The Unveiled believed that we needed to use our magic to duplicate and grow the resources we had now. The Ministry's official statement is that they agree with this idea. However they wish to do it in secrecy whereas The Unveiled want for us to take our 'rightful place' above the primitive muggles. I'd recounted this political story so many times since my arrival on the Mactire, it started to irritate me. You'd think these people would gossip about what I'd told them. But apparently they weren't much for gossip. Maybe they feared discovery by the muggles if they talked too much of wizarding matters.

The only other important thing even worth mentioning was that a rumor was going around about how the Ministry would be sending people to infiltrate and study the Church of Unitology, which most witches and wizards distrusted. Unitology was a relatively new religion, being only about 200-years-old, but it was one that I was not falling for, nor was much of the Wizarding community. I didn't know much about Unitology except what I'd heard and seen from the believers I'd encountered. They were very open about their belief, I'll give them that, but to the point of annoyance. Always walking right up to you and praising some guy named Altman or 'the Marker', which I assumed was the deity. And they kept going on and on about 'convergence', how all believers would cease being individual and come together as one in death. However nonbelievers, like myself, would just cease to exist. Generally it was this point that I'd dismiss them or just walk away. I did tend to notice that those who were believers of Unitology seemed to be rather simple-minded. I'd wondered from time to time if that had anything to do with their belief. I myself didn't know what to believe. I believed in some kind of God or creator. I didn't think we all just suddenly appeared here and started along with our business. But there were so many religions to believe, I wasn't sure which was true.

On the whole, the entire Wizarding community rejected Unitology on the simple fact that we have proof that we don't 'converge' or cease to exist when we die. We have ghosts to prove that. However, some few witches and wizards have been known to fall under the influence of Unitology, and again I noticed that they were rather simple-minded. There was only one Unitologist wizard on the Mactire, but I rarely came across him. And even when I did, silencing him was fairly simple if he ever annoyed me.

Other than that, those of magical descent on the Mactire were on good terms with me, but none had really made an effort to be friends with me.

Except one.

One particular witch had gained my attention very quickly. In my first week, the captain had sent me down to the engine room to fix the firing mechanisms, which was simple enough for me. I'd expected it to be a half-hour job at most. What I hadn't expected going down there was a feisty witch who wasn't too keen on somebody coming down to her section and doing her job for her. To say my presence was unwanted by her would be an understatement. When she found out who I was and what I was trying to do, she transfigured my head into a venus fly trap. I quickly managed to change it back before the muggle operator came around the corner.

After a brief, heated, but quiet exchange of choice words, she reluctantly backed off and let me do the job I was assigned to do. Still reeling from the unexpected encounter, I performed some complicated wandwork, and the engines were firing like new again. And if I had done my job right, they'd be firing like that for many years to come. My job finished, I turned to walk out from the engine room and away from the crazy girl when she grabbed my arm. Instinctively, I pointed my wand at her, but saw that she wasn't angry or upset at all. Her face was apologetic and curious.

"I've never seen someone fix something so well in such a short amount of time." She whispered with a small smile.

"Yeah, well I've had seven years of practice." I said quietly, not sure what to think. I didn't particularly feel like talking to this witch who had just assaulted my head. But still… "The muggles think I'm an extremely talented engineer…well, the ones on my last ship did."

She looked down. "You're really good. I-I'm sorry about earlier. I was afraid I was going to be replaced. You know how fickle the captain is. He usually fires people right away if they can't fix what they're supposed to fix."

"He's a nice guy" I said, turning fully to face her. "He just has to do what's necessary. I can teach you how to do those spells if you want."

She looked up at me, pushing strands of her blonde hair from her face. She was still looking a little ashamed, but she grinned. Her green eyes sparkled ever so slightly. "That would be nice." She held out her hand. "I'm Liza. Liza Lovegood."

I extended my own and took hers. "Byron Cheak. But you can call me By."

Fast forward three months to present day, and Liza and I have been a couple ever since. Spell lessons on the job quickly moved to off the job, in our own quarters. Long story short, spell lessons went into meals together, to discussions about each other, until about two weeks after our meeting, I finally leaned in and kissed her. She and I have been inseparable ever since, which thanks to our schedules being on similar times, all of our off time istogether. She's nice and gentle, but she can be feisty from time to time. She had quite a knack for transfiguration. If I ever got fresh with her, she would remind me just what it felt like to have something else for a body part than what was supposed to be there. And it wasn't limited to my head anymore. Still, Liza is pretty much the only friend I have on the U.S.G. Mactire.

The muggle superintendent's stupid face still lingering humorously in my mind, I arrived on the bridge of the Mactire. The bridge was massive; it looked more like an atrium or aquarium than a control room for a ship. The walls to the entire room, save for the one I just walked through, were clear as day, giving an ideal view into space. Saturn sat serenely outside the hull windows, its' rings floating peacefully. To the left of the ship, quite a distance away, was the Sprawl. I stared at it for a moment or two. It had been over a month since I'd seen the Sprawl. I'd grown up there, gone to school there, learned how to control magic, lived my life up until I turned 17, which was when I was hired as an engineer for the C.E.C mining crafts. I'd been working with them ever since.

I glanced around for the captain and found him pacing on the right side of the bridge, monitoring some people sitting at panels.

"Captain Tracy!" I called out. The aging man looked up at me and smiled.

"Byron, good morning my boy! I take it you're ready for another hard day's work?"

"As always, sir."

"Good man." He said with a grin. Captain Nathanial Tracy seemed to me a very kind man, though definitely not one I'd want to make angry. There was a knowing about him, as if he knew things I didn't. I suppose that's how he got to be Captain in the first place. I often wondered if he was a wizard and was just hiding it.

"Byron, I want you to head down to communications today." He checked a panel. "The satellite seems to be misaligned. We can't hold a clear transmission with anybody on the Sprawl today. After that, head to Life Support. It appears they're having issues regulating oxygen control."

"Yes sir." I nodded before turning to the elevator in the center of the bridge.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Seven floors down, I entered the satellite control room. There were only three workers in here, all of them muggles. I knew they were muggles because the second I entered the room, they all exchanged pointed looks with each other before turning away from me. I heaved a sigh and rolled my eyes before stepping over the threshold. I walked up to the balding man at the center control console.

"So what's the problem?"

He didn't answer me.

"Excuse me. Captain Tracy sent me here to fix the satellite. What's the problem with it?"

The balding man glanced over at me but looked right back at his panel. My fingers wrapped gingerly around my wand in my pocket. I slipped it into my sleeve and tapped the man on the shoulder. He didn't even look at me.

I glanced over at the ceiling, making sure there weren't any cameras. Lo and behold, there weren't any.

_Finally…a chance to have some fun!_

I poked the tip of my wand out of the sleeve and jabbed the man with it, whispering "Confundus."

Instantly, the man's eyes went out of focus and he relaxed his body significantly. I slipped my wand back into my pocket and tapped the man on the shoulder again. He turned dimly towards me, his eyes remaining out of focus.

"I'm here to fix the satellite. Can you tell me what's wrong with it?" I asked very clearly. I noticed the other two men in the room had turned their heads ever so slightly towards us to hear better.

"The wiring below this panel here is completely severed." His voice was lazy and slurred. "Probably some rodent. Other than that, we can't find any other problem. We've deactivated communications until we can get the wiring fixed."

"Thank you." I said with a devilish grin. "That wasn't too hard, now was it?"

And with that, I removed the spell. The man's two colleagues in the room were staring at him like he'd just spilled some huge secret nobody was supposed to know. Satisfied with myself, I got down on my back and slid under the panel the man gestured to. I grabbed the flashlight from my utility belt, the only muggle tool I'd ever found any use for, and took a quick glance around for the loose wires. Sure enough, it looked like something had been chewing through them.

_Too easy._

I pulled out my wand and glanced up at the muggle on the right side of the room. He had a clear view of me, but luckily he was facing the other direction. I pointed my wand at the few loose wires.

"_Reparo._"

The wires snaked back to each other and fused together, fixing themselves and looking like new. I smirked at myself. A regular muggle would have taken at least ten minutes to fix that, fumbling with solder and other band-aid types of fixes. It took me less than five seconds to fix it.

Without even bothering to check to make sure it was absolutely fixed, which I knew it was, I slid out from under the panel. The muggles I hadn't confounded looked around at me, expectant looks on their faces.

"Done." I said with a grin.

Their faces fell. Clearly they were expecting me to fail or have some kind of issue.

"Bullshit." The one on my right said, glancing down where I'd just slid out of.

"Nope. It's all fixed."

"You were down there for thirty seconds." The chubby muggle on my left said angrily. I suppressed a laugh as his multiple chins jiggled in his anger. "I didn't even see any sparks or nothing."

"I can prove it if you want me to." I said, still smirking. I turned around and shooed the bald muggle out of his seat before taking his place at the monitor. Within seconds, I'd entered the sequence to start up the communications satellite. I may not have liked muggle technology, but that didn't mean I didn't know how to use it. I wouldn't have gotten the job I had now if I didn't know how to use it. Sure enough, the satellite signal started feeding out to the Sprawl.

"Are you shitting me?" The bald muggle behind me said in complete disbelief.

"I shit you not, my friend." I said, bathing in the glory of my success.

"How did you do that so fast?" The chubby muggle walked up next to me and looked down, his expression somewhere between awe and anger.

"Seven years of practice." I said. It was partially true.

The monitor began to flash suddenly.

"Incoming transmission. Identification unknown." The computer's voice spoke over the intercom. Then the monitor flashed white and was then replaced with static. The static hummed for well over a minute.

"Is this some sort of joke?" I asked.

"If it is, the joke's on all of us, isn't it?" The other muggle said as he appeared on my other side.

A picture started to come in through the static. An empty chair. Behind the chair was what looked like another communications room. Then a woman appeared from the right side of the screen. She slumped into the chair unceremoniously. She had very short red hair, wore a jacket that looked far too big for her, and an expression of the utmost exhaustion and desperation. She sat with her eyes squeezed closed, as if she was in a great amount of pain.

"Wow…she's hot." The chubby muggle said.

"Shut it." I snapped. Something was up. We never got transmissions without some form of announcement beforehand. This had come out of nowhere.

The woman opened her eyes, leaned in, and began to speak directly to the camera.

"_My name is Alissa Vincent. I was..._am _the security chief on the Ishimura. I may be the sole survivor. We encountered an alien life-form. They've taken over the bodies of the crew_."

The camera then flashed to security camera views of what I assumed was the interior of the ship. My mouth fell open at the images.

Every single shot showed hallways, rooms, quarters, torn apart, shredded, nearly unrecognizable as a part of a ship. Even more shocking was that the floors and walls of each of these rooms was smeared with what was unmistakably blood. Body parts, tattered bloody clothes, ripped pieces of metal…something horrible had happened on this ship. The camera flashed back to the woman.

"_The colony was lost. My team is dead. The Ishimura is under their control. It is my belief that the artifact we discovered on the surface is somehow responsible._"

The camera cut again to another security image, and what I saw next confused me even further. The Marker…the symbol of Unitology, sitting in a large room onboard the ship. It was a large, deep red, stone obelisk, covered with thousands of symbols. But as quickly as the image appeared, it was gone, replaced again with Alyssa's face.

"_It has driven us mad, turned us against each other. If you find this recording, the Ishimura and the artifact must be destroyed…must be destroyed…must be destroyed…"_

The recording repeated itself over and over before the muggle on my left reached over and shut it off.

"What the hell was that about?" He whispered.

"I don't know." I said quickly. "But I do know this…she needs help. I need to find out where that transmission came from. What was the ship's name again? She said it earlier in the recording."

The muggles just looked at each other stupidly. With a groan I went back to the recording and rewound it before playing it over and listening closely.

"_…the security chief on the Ishimura…_"

"The Ishimura." I repeated. "Computer, lock onto the signal that transmission came from. Send the coordinates to my com-device."

"Command confirmed, Engineer Cheak."

I pushed away from the monitor and quickly strode towards the door.

"Wait a minute man!" The chubby muggle behind me called. "You can't take those coordinates! Only the Captain can…"

I turned on the spot and faced him. He froze as I stared sternly at him. We were about the same height, but if the seriousness I felt was reflected at all in my eyes, the man had good reason not to approach me further.

"I'm the Captain's right-hand mechanic. Believe me, I have the authority to do what I want, when I want on this ship."

With that, I turned back and strode out of the communications room.

It was when I boarded the elevator that my com-link beeped the coordinates of the Ishimura to me. It showed me a hologram of a large mining vessel, even larger than the Mactire. It could have easily held over a thousand people.

"Coordinates confirmed, Engineer Cheak. The U.S.G. Ishimura is located at Docking Bay #42 at the Sprawl."

"How is that possible?" I asked aloud. "There's no way one person could pilot that big of a ship to the Sprawl."

It was all incredibly confusing. An unverified transmission immediately gets picked up when I turn on the satellite, and some horrified looking woman claims she's the only survivor on a ship overrun with aliens. And that the aliens were taking over the bodies of the crew…all of this had something to do with the Marker of Unitology. I was _sure_ that was what the obelisk was. It couldn't have been anything else. What was even more frightening was that the ship was docked on the only human civilization this side of the solar system. If that ship really was crawling with aliens that could take over human bodies…

The elevator doors opened to the Bridge. Captain Tracy was heading down to his quarters below the Bridge. I sprinted out of the elevator and called out to him. He turned to me, smiling as always.

"Finished already Byron?" He asked cheerfully.

"Sir, we have a problem." I said as I caught up to him.

"Is this something we can discuss here?" He asked in a low voice. "Or should we adjourn to my private Nest?"

"I think this is something that should be kept quiet from the crew." I said. I wasn't sure why, but the knowledge of a mining vessel that big becoming that out of control, and the possibility of some sort of monster aboard killing the entire crew was something the Mactire crew didn't need to be aware of.

"Very well." He replied. Together, we walked down the platform to the elevator that lead to the Captain's Nest.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Ten minutes later, once we were in the Captain's Nest, I'd pulled up the recording and showed him the coordinates it had been transmitted from. His reaction was very similar to my own; his expression was horrified when the images of the dead crew and the torn up interior came up. And when he learned that the Ishimura was docked at the Sprawl, he immediately turned to a monitor behind him and began to radio to the Sprawl headquarters.

"Sprawl, do you read? This is an urgent message from the Mactire!"

The window was taken over as the Sprawl answered his transmission. An older man with graying hair, wearing an official white C.E.C. suit answered. There was a silver pendent dangling around his neck.

"This is Admiral Jenson. What is your emergency."

"I'm Captain Nathanial Tracy of the U.S.G. Mactire. We just received an urgent emergency transmission from the U.S.G. Ishimura. I'm sending the transmission right now."

Admiral Jenson's face turned away, presumably to another monitor, as he watched the transmission. However, his face didn't change even remotely. I knew he was watching the same transmission we did, because I could still hear Alyssa's voice faintly in the background. Even now, after hearing it for a fourth time, it sent chills up my spine to think of the horrors she must have suffered on that ship.

Admiral Jensen turned back to face us. "When did you receive this transmission?

I stepped forward so he could see me, speaking up. "I received it sir, about twenty minutes ago. Our communications satellite was down so we had it shut off. I fixed the satellite and when I turned it back on, this transmission played immediately."

The Admiral's face darkened. For some reason, I felt a little uncomfortable.

"Are you two the only ones who've seen this?" he asked, his voice significantly darker as well.

"No." I replied. "The three operators in the communications room saw it as well."

The Admiral sighed. "Very well then. Captain Tracy, please notify the three operatives that a ship will be coming to pick them up as well as you and your mechanic here. The ship will arrive in one hour."

The transmission ended.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, dumbfounded. "They've got torn-apart ship there crawling with monsters, _docked_ into their station, with a possible survivor onboard, and he didn't even seem fazed by it! And now he's sending someone to pick _us_ up? Shouldn't somebody help _them_? Or at _least_ get that ship away from the Sprawl!"

"Calm down Byron." The captain said. "I have a feeling this is a lot bigger than it seems. We have to be careful. He's a Unitologist, the Admiral. Did you see his pendant? The one around his neck? It's the Marker, exactly like the one in that transmission."

"I noticed that." I said quietly.

"Unitologists are incredibly secretive about their faith." He replied, looking out the window.

"Not the way I've seen it." I said, looking out as well.

Captain Tracy looked back at me, and there was something sinisterly sad in his eyes. "Oh they evangelize their religion all right, but do you actually know what exactly it is they talk about? Do you know what Convergence is, or what the Marker is? What it does?"

"Well…not really, sir."

"Neither do they." He whispered.

"I don't understand, sir."

"The leaders of Unitology keep certain parts of their religion a very big secret. I think we've just stumbled across one of those secrets. Did you hear what Alissa said about the Marker? She said she believed it was the source of what was happening on the Ishimura. The alien life forms were taking over the bodies of the crew."

I stared at him incredulously. "Do you think that whatever happened there…it's something to do with Unitology?"

"I'd bet my life on it." He said with a dark smile.

Then something struck me. "They keep parts of their religion secret. The Admiral asked who else saw the transmission. So what do you think is going to happen when the ship they're sending comes for us?"

The Captain's smile darkened. "I doubt very much that we'll ever see this ship again."

Something cold seeped from my stomach and through my entire body. What did that mean? I had a feeling I knew what it did, but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions. Still…

"We're the only ones who know about this." I said slowly.

"Indeed we are. Apart from your friends in the communications room."

That wasn't too comforting. If the Unitologists really were coming to silence us, I doubted very much that the three muggles who were also involved would stand much of a chance. I knew I was going to put up a fight if what I thought was happening would happen.

The Captain sat in thought for a moment. Then he spoke up. "The aliens she talked about...the ones taking over the crew's bodies...they sound like some sort of parasitic creature. And those can be the most dangerous kind. You don't even know you're infected until it's too late."

"So what are they thinking, docking a ship with something like that onboard?" I asked in frustration.

"I don't know."

"Do you think the Unitologists will find a way to quarantine the ship?"

The Captain sighed. "I don't know what they'll do. But I do know this." He stared at me intensely. "One wrong move on their part, and the Sprawl will be lost. That is, of course, if there really are parasitic life forms on that ship, which I believe there are. A video like that would take a lot of effort to fake. What we should focus on now, though, is what will happen to us once their ship arrives. Because if they intend to silence us, we'll have to put up quite the fight. Unitologists are very effective in keeping their secrets quiet."

"So what do we do?" I asked nervously.

The Captain reached into his jacket and pulled out a wand.

"We'll just have to improvise, now won't we Byron?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "I knew it! Somehow, I just knew it!." I pulled my own wand out. "So what's the plan?"

* * *

><p><strong>So basically...this is make-or-break time for me. I'm really hoping for reviews that will tell me if I've meshed the two worlds together well. Obviously this isn't all I'll be writing about it, but this is just the opener. There will be more info about how the Wizarding community came to be on the Sprawl and integrated into muggle society, but we're also going to delve further into Byron's journey. <strong>

**As far as the timeline of Dead Space goes, this takes place well after Issac's encounter in the first game. Hence why the Ishimura is docked at the Sprawl. They haven't started decontamination of the ship yet, though that's the idea so far. I don't know if I'll ever have Byron meet Issac or not. At this point, I just want to keep with my original characters. But hey, who knows?**

**By the way, the transmission Byron received...it's actually canon. It's the beginning of "Dead Space: Downfall", which is a pretty good movie!  
><strong>

**Hope you enjoyed it so far!  
><strong>


	3. Springing the Trap

**Chapter 2 – Springing the Trap**

"I don't understand, By." Liza said, shaking her head. "You received a weird transmission. That isn't grounds to have you imprisoned or even killed."

"I don't understand it either." I said, grasping her hands with my own. "But the Captain is a wizard. He believes that the Unitologists sent to get us aren't going to let us come back again. They're relentless. They'll stop at nothing when they've got their sights set on a goal. And right now, their goal is the Captain and I. So we're going to have to go with them. At least, we'll let them think we will."

The Captain had sent for the three muggles shortly after he and I came up with a simple, yet (hopefully) effective plan to ensure that this was not our last hour on the Mactire. After that, I had gone back down to the engine room and requested an emergency meeting with Liza. I had taken her back to her quarters, unsure of how she was going to take the news of my sudden and, possibly, permanent departure.

"So…you're just going to leave me here?" She looked up at me, her eyes filling with tears. "With no way to communicate, no way of knowing if you've made it or not? I don't want to lose you, By."

I drew her close, kissing her ever so gently. Her lips locked with mine as we both held on to that one moment. When we broke apart, I held her head very close to mine, whispering softly to her. "I will be fine. They're only muggles, after all. And no, you won't be out of the loop."

I let her go before digging around in my pocket and pulling out my com-link and my wand.

"I thought you didn't like muggle technology." She said with a smirk.

"Normally I don't." I said with a smirk of my own. "My com-link and my flashlight are just about the only things I do use. Now shush, and watch this."

I pointed my wand at the com-link in my hand.

"_Gemino!_"

The com-link duplicated in my hand, so that I now held two identical com-links. I held one out to her, which she took.

"Now watch this." I said with a wink. "And hold very still."

I pointed my wand at Liza.

"_Biocouno!_"

There was flash of light, and her com-link was gone. I then repeated the same thing to my own com-link.

"What was that about?" She asked, looking around for the com-links. "Where did they go?"

_They're a part of us now._ I thought, smiling at her.

She stared at me, looking very shocked.

"Did I just hear you in my head?" she asked, dumbfounded.

_You sure did, babe. _

"No way…" she said in awe, tilting her head one way, then the other, as if she could feel the com-link rolling around. I laughed at her.

"It doesn't work like that." I chuckled. _It's transfiguration, Liza. And some very complicated transfiguration at that. It's a bit of tricky magic I picked up in my fifth year of school. It's taken the technology and biologically fused it as a part of our own brains. It's thought activated. And it's only communicable to each other, nobody else. It works just like the com-link does, so we can communicate back and forth with each other, and we'll hear each other in our heads. To activate it, all you have to do is have the will to contact me, and the technology responds. But it's more than a communication device._

With a mere thought, I activated the holographic display in my own mind. Liza gasped.

_I can see what you see!_ Her voice spoke clearly in my head. _I see me and…is my hair really _that_ greasy?_

I laughed. _I think you're beautiful, babe. I'll take your grease monkey over Miss. Universe any day. _I glanced down at my watch. The Unitologist ship would be arriving in fifteen minutes. I locked eyes with Liza, and she understood.

_With this, we'll be able to talk to each other no matter how far we are…within half a parsec at least. Odds are, they'll be taking us to the Sprawl, so I won't even be that far away._

Liza just smiled, but her eyes gave her away. To top it off, she forgot to deactivate her com-link.

_Please don't go…_

Her eyes shone with tears again. I could see the fear within them; truth be told, the same fear echoed in my own mind.

"I'll be fine." I said with a reassuring smile. "You know me. I can take care of myself."

In her fear, in those green-tinted eyes, I also saw her passion, the fire in this woman that had made me fall head-over-heels in love with her. I could see that she would do anything to make sure I stayed here. But I also saw her control. She was letting me go, knowing the possibilities that lie ahead. She was every bit as strong and able as she was kind and sensitive. I pulled her in a close embrace, wanting nothing more than to hold her here until the end of time.

Our lips met again, as we came together for one final romantic moment before my departure. Liza suddenly became quite forceful as she reached around and grasped the back of my head, kissing me with more passion than either of us had dared to test before. I didn't fight her one bit. I had been waiting a long time for us to experience passion like this. Our tongues intertwined as we learned more about each other than we'd ever learned before. Our breathing synchronized as we pulled each other as close as humanly possible. I wished beyond anything else that we could have explored this passion even further, but time had other plans.

My watch beeped the ten minute mark, signaling that I _had_ to leave right now. Our lips parted as our eyes traced down to my wrist. I looked back at Liza, back into those fiery green eyes.

"I love you. _So_ much. I promise, I'll come back to you."

"I love you too." She whispered, a single tear trailing down her cheek.

And, my heart aching at the mere thought of what I was doing, what I was walking away from, I released her from my arms. With one last smile, I turned away, and walked out of the room.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Ten minutes later, Captain Tracy, the three muggles, and I stood in the loading hanger of the Mactire, watching on a holoscreen as a small sub-space shuttle drew closer. The muggles stood a distance away, chatting nervously amongst each other. They hadn't been told anything other than EarthGov was going to be intercepting us. The fact that it was due to the wayward transmission was left out, though I had a hunch they knew that was the reason. They talked in hushed voices, glancing over at us every now and then. Captain Tracy eyed them for a moment before turning to me.

"Remember what I told you." He whispered.

I nodded. The plan was simple in theory, but putting it into action was a separate matter entirely.

A deep computerized voice spoke on the intercom in the hanger.

"This is Shuttle Mushan, requesting access to the hanger of the U.S.G. Mactire."

"Permission granted, Mushan." The computer's collected voice spoke back. "Pressurized doors opening."

The holoscreen showed the large outer doors of the hanger opening and the small shuttle entering. The doors closed.

"Depressurizing commencing." The computer said calmly.

There was the sound of a great amount of air being forced quickly in the small space.

"Depressurizing complete. Opening hanger doors."

The large metallic doors before us began to slide open, revealing the pure white shuttle hovering behind them. A set of landing gears descended from beneath the shuttle, and it touched down on the hanger floor, hissing as it depressurized itself. I breathed deep, hoping that whatever would happen from here would not be as bad as I thought it was going to be.

The entrance door opened, and five men, all dressed in white military outfits filed out, followed by another man dressed the same. It was clear that he was not military, however. He was far too skinny and flimsy to have ever made it into the military. He had blonde hair, combed over in a swoop to the left, and was bespectacled. The wrinkles on his forehead accentuated a pair of stern looking, gray eyes.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen." He said in a surprisingly high, slick voice, giving a professional looking smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Daniel Strizer of the Unitology Research Sector of EarthGov. I apologize for this inconvenience. The officials at the Sprawl just have a few important matters to discuss with the event you witnessed. After that, we'll have you back on the Mactire in no time."

Captain Tracy stepped forward and shook Lieutenant Strizer's hand.

"I am sure this whole matter can be cleared up quickly." The Captain said, with an equally professional smile.

"As am I." Strizer replied. "If you five would please step aboard the Mushan, we can make this as quick as possible.

A shiver ran up my spine. Just this man's presence alone was chilling. I got this feeling around all Unitologists; there was just an air of falseness about them, that they were hiding something or that they knew something I didn't deserve to know. Reluctantly, I followed the Captain as he boarded the shuttle. The three muggles shuffled behind me.

The shuttle interior was small, but not cramped. It was, as the exterior was, pure white and spotlessly clean on the inside. I never realized how much Unitologists enjoyed the brightness of white. Maybe it had something to do with being as pure as possible. I wasn't sure, and I really didn't care to find out.

As the Captain headed to a seat at the back of the ship, I noted thankfully that unless there was a secret compartment behind the seats, we would never have our backs to any of the Unitologists. It made our defenses much stronger, though my nerves were still going crazy. There was still a million things that could go wrong or unexpectedly.

There was a sudden buzzing in my head.

_Byron?_

_ Liza?_I thought frantically as I watched the five military Unitologists file into the seats across from us. I eyed their pistols on their sides. Now was not the time for distractions. As much as I loved her, I needed to be completely in my own mind right now. _Liza, now's not the best time. I'll contact you when it's safe._

_ Please talk to me soon, Byron. I can't stand not knowing what's happening._

_ Do you want to watch? _I thought quickly, turning on my holographic projector.

_I...I don't know._

_ Liza, it's now or never._ Lieutenant Strizer sat directly across from the Captain at that moment, that professionally fake smile ever present on his stern face.

She hesitated for a moment. _I guess…yes. I'll watch._

_ Ok. But I need you to stay quiet for a while Liza. I need to think. I can't have you in my head if things go south._

_ Ok, By._

Her voice faded. I glanced over at the Captain. The ship vibrated slightly. We were on the way.

Lieutenant Strizer sat up in his seat and looked at all five of us.

"Do you all know why you've been taken from the Mactire?" He asked, his eyes lingering for a half a second longer on my face.

"We received an odd transmission from the U.S.G. Ishimura." The Captain said without hesitation. "We've been over this part. What we don't understand is why we need to be taken to EarthGov. We're just the messengers. We delivered the transmission to you. That's all."

"Sadly, you delivered a transmission that we've already had in our possession for quite some time. About two years, in fact." Lieutenant Strizer said, his eyes fixated on the Captain.

"Two years?" I asked, incredulously. What did that mean about Alissa then? Was she even alive? Could she have even survived that long in that kind of environment? And did the same go for the creatures?

"That's right Engineer Cheak." Strizer said with a more genuine smile, which was, if at all possible, even creepier than his professional one. "You see, two years ago, a beacon had been launched from the Ishimura when the events you learned from that transmission occured. The beacon contained the exact same message that is beaming from the Ishimura at this very moment. We received it and, upon discovering its' contents, we classified it as private records, and only accessed people were allowed to view it."

My blood ran cold at his last words. So far, my suspicions about our fate were starting to come to fruition.

"Why is it still broadcasting then? Why did we receive it?"

"Why it's still broadcasting, I do not know yet. However, I was hoping you could tell us how you managed to receive it." Strizer looked at me curiously. "You see, _that_ transmission, the one you received, is beaming on a loop from the Ishimura itself. EarthGov has been searching for the Ishimura these last two years. We found it a month ago and finally managed to dock it at the Sprawl mere hours ago. Unfortunately, we currently have no safe way of going aboard and stopping the transmission. So we jammed every communications array in the vicinity until we could infiltrate the ship."

"Our communications satellite had maintenance this morning." One of the muggles replied shakily. "It's been down for two days. Cheak here came and fixed it this morning."

"And the second he turned it on, that transmission came on the holoscreen." The chubby muggle chipped in.

Strizer sighed softly, thinking for a moment. When he spoke, it was in a calculated and collective tone. "So it was merely a miscalculation on our part. We didn't pick up your communications signal, so we didn't jam it. Very well then."

He stood up.

"I am sorry gentlemen, but as I've said before, that transmission was classified as a private document two years ago. This whole mess has been one big mistake, but it's a mistake that EarthGov as well as the Church cannot forgive. This must be kept silent."

He nodded to the five military Unitologists sitting across from us. Simultaneously, they all stood up and pulled their pistols from their pockets. In a flash, I too had stood up and slipped my wand from my sleeve, pointing it at the six men before us.

"_Incarcerous!_" I cried, as another voice echoed with my own. The Captain's wand was pointed in the same direction as my own. Two sets of ropes shot from our wands and wrapped tightly around the six Unitologists. They all cried in shock as, in mere seconds, they became a tightly wrapped pile on the floor.

"Byron, quickly!" the Captain said with urgency, "Go to the cabin and take out the pilot!"

I nodded before turning down the shuttle and opened the door to the cockpit. I pointed my wand, ready to stun anybody inside, but there was nobody.

"It's empty." I called back over the shouts and cries of the muggles in the room, including the three communications operators.

"What the hell is this?" the chubby one yelled.

"How did you guys _do _that?" The bald muggle said, looking back and forth between the Captain and I. I met eyes with the Captain, and he nodded. We both directed our wands at the three muggles.

"_Stupefy!_"

At once, all three muggles fell back into their seats, unconscious.

"What is the meaning of this!" Strizer yelled from within the pile of tangled limbs and ropes. "Untie us at once! You are jeopardizing the secrecy of the Church! You must be silenced at once! It is for the good of the Marker! You must remain silent!"

With a roll of my eyes, I pointed my wand at his exposed head.

"_Silencio_."

From then on, Strizer's mouth flapped around but not a peep came from his throat. When he realized this, his eyes grew wide and he stared up in fear at the Captain and I.

"I have no interest in your religion, Lieutenant." I said flatly. "I just want to make sure that whatever kind of monster or parasite is on the Ishimura doesn't spread onto the Sprawl."

"That's enough Byron." The Captain spoke up. "Let's just wipe their memories and turn this ship around. Once we're back on the Mactire, we can bewitch them to pilot back and tell EarthGov that we've been effectively silenced."

"But the Ishimura! What about the parasite?" I asked.

"We'll figure something out. Right now, we have to get ourselves to safety."

"Right."

Together, the Captain and I wiped each and every muggle's mind in the shuttle. Soon enough, they all were unconscious on the floor. Satisfied with our work, Captain Tracy and I headed into the cabin to turn the ship around. The shuttle was on autopilot on a direct course to the Unitology Sector of EarthGov. The captain took the pilot's chair.

"Computer, this is Captain Tracy of the U.S.G. Mactire. Initiate access override code 3345."

"Access denied. Captain Nathanial Tracy, fugitive of EarthGov, is under arrest for treason. All orders given by Captain Tracy are to be disregarded."

"What?" he asked in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

"Let me try." I said, taking the copilot seat. "Computer, this is Engineer Cheak of the U.S.G. Mactire. Initiate emergency override code 4554."

"Access denied. Engineer Byron Cheak, fugitive of EarthGov, is under arrest for treason. All orders given by Engineer Cheak are to be disregarded."

"What the-?"

I glared around at the Captain, who too had a look of shock and anger on his face.

"How the hell is this possible?"

"I don't know Byron." He said, staring out the window as we drew closer to the Sprawl. "But we need to think of something, and we need to think of it fast."

"Incoming Transmission." The computer said flatly.

The window became enveloped with a holoscreen, showing Admiral Jenson's face. There was a strange look of overwhelming revelation in his eyes. He looked positively jubilant.

"Well now gentlemen, this is quite a surprise. Up until now, your kind has remained quite a mystery to us Unitologists. I eagerly await your arrival. I have a lot of questions for you both."

"Jenson!" Captain Tracy shouted, "Release us now! We've done nothing wrong, and you have no right to capture us like this!"

"On the contrary, I have every right, Captain Tracy." Jenson replied with a wicked smile. "The Marker desires it. Your abilities will be greatly helpful to the cause of the Marker."

"If you think I'm going to use an ounce of my magic for your bullshit religion, you've got another thing coming!" I shouted back at Jenson.

"I had a feeling you both would be reluctant." The Admiral sighed. "We have ways of dealing with stubborn ones."

Pain suddenly enveloped my entire body as the chair I sat in began to electrocute me. I cried out in agony, barely registering that Captain Tracy was also screaming away next to me. Neither of us could move from the seats. The electricity kept on coming from the chairs themselves, holding us forcefully and excruciatingly down. I was quickly losing my vision. Everything was growing black as the pain kept coming in droves.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the electricity stopped. I sat slumped in the chair, gasping for air. I couldn't see anything and my head was spinning quickly. As I slipped into unconsciousness, I heard one final voice; the voice of my girlfriend's anguished cry.

_Byron!_

* * *

><p><strong><em>DUN DUN DUUUNNNNNN...<em>**

**Sooo...yeah. I think it's safe to say this story is taking over my psyche at the moment. Kinda like what the Marker does to those who come near it. But we'll get to that later.  
><strong>

**I'm a little proud of myself with coming up with the Com-link transfiguration idea. The spell 'biocouno' is one of my own making. It's a combination of the English word 'Bio', intending the meaning of "Body", and the latin word 'Couno', meaning "Fuse".**

**Also...this was my first attempt EVER at any kind of romantic scene. If you review, please let me know if I did a decent job on it or if I just pissed all over the word 'romance'. Thanks guys!** Expect Chapter 3 soon.** _  
><em>**


	4. The Devil's Throne

**Chapter 3 – The Devil's Throne**

_Byron, oh God can you hear me? Byron? Please answer me!_

Liza's voice was prominent in my head as I came to. I couldn't open my eyes. In fact, I couldn't move anything. Everything seemed limp and numb. But I could think coherently enough. Groggily, I activated my com-link.

_Liza…Liza, I'm awake._

_ Oh God, Byron you're there! Are you alright? _She sounded close to tears.

_I don't know,_ I thought, trying to make sense of things. _I can't move anything. I don't know where I am. What happened?_

_ Byron, I think they were prepared for a fight. I think they knew you and the Captain were going to fight back, so they set up ways to subdue you. The pilots chairs were electric! They knocked you out. _She spoke frantically. She was very scared, which in turn triggered my own fear. I could feel my heart start to beat faster.

_How long have I been out?_

_ Eight hours. Oh thank God you're awake By!_

_ Liza, calm down. I can't think straight right now…I need to find out where I am._

I tried again to even open my eyes, but everything was still too numb to move. Then I was struck with an idea.

_Liza, I can't see a thing…use your com-link, lock onto my signal. You can tell me where I am._

_ Give me a second, By._

There was silence for a couple moments.

I tried to gather my thoughts, trying to remember anything. Wispy shadows of memories began to slowly form in my head.

_I…I remember Admiral Jenson…he said something like... "Your kind have been a mystery to Unitologists", like he knows about wizards and magic._

Then everything started flooding back to me in those moments. Strizer's arrival, what he told us about the Ishimura and the transmission, how they tried to kill us. Then…

_The coordinates say you're in the Unitologist Research Facility of the Government Sector of the Sprawl. Oh God, By…you're in the heart of their facility._

I may not have been able to move, but I certainly felt my heart plummet into my stomach.

_I'm such an idiot! Why didn't I think to disapparate from the ship? I could have saved us all this trouble if I'd have just been smart then!_

_We all make mistakes, Byron. _Liza spoke soothingly. _But we can't linger in the past. You're there now. We have to think. What's happening now? What can you do?_

I thought for a moment, piecing together the memories

_There must have been security cameras in that shuttle, that's how Jenson knew we had fought back. That's how he knew we were wizards…he saw us casting spells. He placed us under arrest and made us fugitives so we couldn't escape. Damn it all, the Ministry's going to have our asses if we make it out of this…_

Suddenly, a horrible thought came to me as Jenson's voice came floating back through my memory.

"_I have a lot of questions for you both_…_Your abilities will be greatly helpful to the cause of the Marker."_

My blood turned to ice instantly.

_Liza…he's going to question us…try to force us to use our magic for Unitology._

Liza took a moment to respond. _But you won't! They can't make you!_

I couldn't help but chuckle darkly, which surprised me because I could now move my mouth a bit. _They can do what they want to me, but the second I get my wand, I'm out of there._

_ Byron, if you fight them I don't know if they'll even _give_ you your wand. _She spoke strictly, as if she were a superior and I were taking orders.

_Liza, I can't just tell them everything…I'd betray our kind, our world. Then I'd _really_ be a fugitive for treason. I have to act as soon as possible!_

_ By, remember what Captain Tracy told you…they'll stop at nothing to get what they want. They're persistent. But persistence gets you nowhere if you're not smart enough to know how to use it. Unitology has been around for 200 years, and it's exploded faster than any other religion I've studied. They know exactly what they're doing. They know what works and what doesn't. They know how to manipulate, how to worm things out of you. Look at you now! You're a wizard, and they bested you with muggle technology! You're their prisoner now! Byron, they're not an easy enemy. You have to be careful with this, you can't just go on instinct here._

As much as I knew she was right, I didn't want to hear it. What I wanted was _out_. I couldn't stand this feeling; unable to move, unable to help myself, stuck, vulnerable and open to whim of whoever came across me.

_Liza, I know what they are. I don't need this right now. What I need is to figure out what to do _now_._

_ Byron…I just want you to be careful…I can't lose you. I'm already close to it…_

Footsteps echoed somewhere in the physical world. I tried to open my eyes, but nothing responded. The only thing I had was the void of my psyche and sounds I could hear. I tried to talk, thinking I could, but my lips barely moved at all. The footsteps grew louder as their owner drew closer and closer to, presumably, me. Then a voice spoke above me. A cold, calculating voice I recognized immediately.

"Good evening Mr. Cheak." Admiral Jenson's drawling bass floated through my mind's eye like a haze of poison. Even without the ability to see his face, the sound itself was enough to send me reeling with anger and bitterness.

"That was quite a fight you and Mr. Tracy put up on the shuttle." He said. From the direction he was coming from, it sounded like he was leaning right over me, very close to my face. I wanted nothing more than to bury my fist into his ugly, old maw. Suddenly, I felt a sharp prick in my left arm, followed by a tight sensation in the skin surrounding the prick.

"I presume you're wondering why you can't move. Very simple, Mr. Cheak. You've been injected with a sedative, and a powerful one at that. It paralyzes muscle tissue so you are incapable of anything but very minor movements. I do have the antidote with me right here, if you're willing to cooperate. I've given you a small dose of it right now, so you'll be able to communicate with me."

Immediately following the prick, my muscles relaxed significantly. I had feeling in my body again, and I managed to groggily open my eyes. I had to close them again for a moment, as I was in a very brightly lit, white room. I wasn't bound to anything, merely lying on top of a flat table. After a moment, I was able to open my eyes and see. Admiral Jenson sat in a chair ahead of me. Shakily and slowly, I pushed myself up and managed to sit up.

"Excellent." Jenson smiled with a devilish air. "Now then, to business. What exactly are you, and what can you do?"

My first instinct was to tell the man to do something impossible to himself, but Liza's warning echoed in my mind. Instead, I had a few questions of my own.

"My wand." I whispered. "Where's my wand?"

"You mean your weapon, Mr. Cheak?"

"It's called a wand, Admiral. Wizards use wands."

The Admiral's nostrils flared ever so slightly. "Very well then. Your wand is in one of our research labs. Several of our specialists are getting ready to dissect it and learn what exactly it is."

"No!" I managed to shout, though it made my head spin. "No you can't…"

"We can do what we like, Mr. Cheak."

"That's not what I mean." I growled through the dizzy haze. "If you take it apart, you can't put it together again. It won't work if you do that. And I can't get another one."

Jenson's expression froze. The muggle stared at me for a moment before pulling out a com-link.

"Dr. Reed, I must ask you to cancel all dissection procedures on the weapons. All three of them."

The com-link beeped back. "Yes Admiral."

The Admiral put his com-link back in his pocked, placed the tips of his fingers together, and leaned forward.

"How interesting, Mr. Cheak. Thus far, you've used the terms 'wand', 'wizard', and most importantly… 'magic'." His smile widened. "Do you remember?"

Somewhere, and audio file played on a speaker in the room; a file of my own voice.

_"If you think I'm going to use an ounce of my magic for your bullshit religion, you've got another thing coming!"_

The file ended. Jenson stared at me, clear intent in his eyes.

"You use terms from ancient mythology and fairy tales, terms that have been deemed mere 'fantasy' and 'fiction' by the public. But Mr. Cheak, for years the heads of Unitology have been aware that there are special people aboard the Sprawl. There's been countless whispers, rumors, and ideas that there are people aboard who have the abilities to conjure and create at will; people who can do miraculous and extraordinary things as if they were but everyday activities, not unlike you fixing that satellite dish this morning. According to the operators we brought with you, you turned a ten-minute job into a ten-second fix. An impressive feat, I must say. You certainly fit the description for these so called 'fairy tales.'"

"Of course, many Unitologists see no reason to put stock in such far-fetched rumors, so we've kept our surveillance and research on the matter under wraps. Not once have we found any tangible proof that these rumors were anything but. That is, until you and Mr. Tracy attacked Lieutenant Strizer on the shuttle earlier this afternoon."

The Admiral's smile widened, which made my stomach bottom out. For all intents and purposes, I had just blown the whole secrecy aspect of my world.

"Mr. Cheak, you have opened up a new world to the Unitologists; you have revealed a monumental secret that only the Marker, in its' greatness, could have bestowed. You possess abilities that we mere, humble Unitologists can only covet. You possess the power to make people see the awesome glory of Altman and the Marker."

I stared back at him, a little confused. "Wh-what do you want with me?"

"Mr. Cheak, you are truly wondrous. We want you and Mr. Tracy to help us, to aid in Unitology's quest toward Convergence. In fact we want more than just your help. We want you to _lead_ us."

I hadn't heard him right. There was no way I'd just heard that.

"I'm sorry…you want me to…_lead_ you?"

"Yes, Mr. Cheak. Your powers can make you an immensely influential prophet of Unitology. You can bend people to your will. You demonstrated that so effortlessly on the shuttle. You would make an ideal Unitologist leader. Why else would you have these abilities?"

I was about to tell him that there were hundreds of people who could perform magic, but I stopped myself mid-thought. A sudden idea occurred to me. Jenson seemed to believe that I was one of a select few 'chosen ones' who possessed abilities. He thought I was rare. I smiled a bit inside. Maybe I could use that to my advantage. The cogs started working in my mind as a plan began to form. Maybe if I played up to their ideas, their plans, I could have more free access…enough to get Captain Tracy free, wherever he was, and get my hands on my wand. After that, we could disapparate and be out of harm's way.

"I don't know." I said calmly. "I've never _believed_ in Unitology though."

"You wouldn't be the first reluctant prophet." He replied with a witty air about him. "Michael Altman, the founder of Unitology, was a reluctant prophet at first. But eventually he saw the will of the Marker, as we all will."

There was no way around it. The man had answers to everything. Ultimately, I had two choices. If I accepted his offer and went be a leader of Unitology, or at least pretended to be, there was a chance I could escape. If I declined…well, it would probably either prolong my ultimate acceptance of the first option, or they would just kill me and be done with it. So the decision was clear.

Time to play up to the sympathies of my soon-to-be sheeple.

When I spoke, I deliberately made it sound like I was thinking deeply. "Now that you really bring it to my attention…I've always felt different…special. But I never really knew my purpose. But I knew I was destined for something bigger than just a simple engineer."

Jenson smiled widely. "That's wonderful Byron. So you accept our offer, then?"

Weakly, I reached out my hand and smiled back at him.

"Absolutely."

"Wonderful." Jenson grasped my hand and shook it. "Welcome to Unitology, brother."

_Asshole._

He stood up and walked to me, pulling out the syringe with the antidote to the sedative still semi-active in my system. I held out my arm, and he stuck the needle in, pushing the plunger down. Instantly, I could feel I'd regained control of my muscles again. Gingerly, I swung my legs over the side of the table and stepped down. I didn't feel dizzy, so I stood up and took a few steps.

"That works quick." I remarked with a grin.

"We've perfected the formula. Both the sedative and the antidote are almost instantaneous when injected." Jenson opened the door to the room, and gestured to me. "Come Byron, there's much for you to learn. And so much for you to teach us."

I walked through the door with Jenson close beside me. We entered a long, white hallway. Jenson turned right and I followed, walking beside him.

Liza's voice echoed in my mind.

_I hope you know what you're doing, By._

_ So do I._ I replied half-heartedly.

"So tell me Byron, how long have you had these abilities?" The Admiral asked with the curiosity of a child.

"Since I was 9, though I didn't start to learn how to hone them until I was 11." I explained. _I can wipe his memory later, though the sooner I do, the better. _

"And where did you acquire your wand?"

"People like me make our own wands." I said, lying on the spot. "We…we need to find some wood, and use our abilities to shape it. Then, when the shape is correct, all we do is grab the wand and it becomes a vessel to channel my abilities."

I wasn't much for lying, but I was good at it when I needed to be told, there was one very old, very secretive wandmaker on the Sprawl named Ollivander. He was an English wizard, claiming to be over 200 years old. He was descended from a very famous wandmaker of the same name, who allegedly sold wands to some very famous witches and wizards from a time too far away for me to care about. Funnily enough, Liza told me that she was descended from one of those witches. Some girl by the name of Lovegood. Whether any of those legends and stories were true, I didn't know nor really cared. All I knew was that Ollivander was the only wandmaker on the Sprawl, and he was the one where witches and wizards purchased their wands.

"How many other wizards are there?" Jenson stared at me intently, greed settling in his hazel eyes.

"As far as I know, Captain Tracy and I are the only ones around. At least at this point in time. He's the only one I've come into contact with."

Jenson's expression fell slightly, but there was still something lingering in his eyes. It was a little unsettling.

"Very well then. Now, don't you have any questions for me, Byron? After all, you're so new to Unitology, and you can't always go on hearsay of others."

"True, Admiral." I said in mock thought. "Well…what is Convergence? I hear so many Unitologists talk of it, but I've never found out what it is."

His face lit up, like that of a war hero asked to recount his heroic tales. "Convergence, my soon-to-be-prophet, is the end-all reason for Unitology. You see, Byron, the Marker teaches us that when we die, if we're believers, we do not float around in nothingness, nor do we join with lost loved ones in a greatly populated afterlife. Instead, we converge as one. Our souls come together in one ultimate convergence as we lose our individuality, and become one; can you imagine anything more perfect? Oh Byron, to no longer be plagued by individual nuisances or flaws, no longer feeling different from everybody else…but to be a _part_ of everyone else."

"It sounds divine." I said, feeling anything but fascinated. Quite the opposite, actually. It was horrifying to think that I would lose everything that made me special and unique…to lose what made me _me;_ to become an insignificant part of a characterless group of people. It sounded dull and terrible at the same time. Still, I had to keep up the mask I'd been forced to don. "So what do we do while we wait for Convergence?"

"We live, Byron. We live for the Marker. We live in peace, acting as good and peaceful as we can. We have no quarrels with anybody. People may disagree with us, but we do not attack them. We merely pray for their souls that they will see the way of the Marker. We speak to them, we beseech them to see the light."

_And act like freaky, mindless creepers in the process._ I thought bitterly.

"Byron, you've asked the two most important questions without even being prompted. I knew there was something wonderful about you." Jenson beamed at me, positively radiating with joy. It was rather sickening. "What you've just asked is really all any Unitologist needs to know."

This thought lingered in my mind. It can't have been that simple…Alissa's transmission was more than enough proof of that. What did those parasite things have to do with Unitology then? The trouble must have showed in my face, because he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Something troubling you, Byron?"

"Well…that transmission I received. Does any of that have to do with Unitology? I mean, there was a Marker on the Ishimura. Alissa claims they found it on the surface of a planet. She also claimed that what was happening was caused _by_ the Marker they brought aboard."

For the first time since I'd started playing him like a fiddle, Admiral Jenson's smile vanished completely. He lost his childish glee and his eyes, once more, took on the dark and serious tone they had when I'd first seen him.

"That transmission was sent due to the result of a horrible accident. Like you've been told, it was supposed to remain a private document, hidden away from the public's eyes. It's best not to discuss it."

"But Admiral, something is _on_ that ship." My true worries started to surface faster than I could control them "The transmission showed clear evidence of that. Do you believe it's safe to have something that dangerous docked at the Sprawl? I mean what if it gets released into-"

The Admiral put his hand up, effectively stopping my questions.

"Your job will be made clear to you soon, Byron. But that job does _not_ include asking questions. What you are asking is out of your, how shall we say…area of expertise. What happened on the Ishimura had nothing to do with Unitology. However we _do_ need to retrieve the Marker they brought aboard the ship. That is all we want the ship for. We will handle whatever is on the Ishimura with care. I suggest you stop asking questions."

I knew it would have been dangerous to push the matter any further. I might have blown my cover and ruined everything I'd worked so hard to do. I decided to backtrack.

"So…if all Unitologists know about Convergence and the Marker's will, what good would my prophetic influence be?"

Jenson's face lit up all childlike once more.

"The thing is, Byron." He replied with a smile, "We're not allowed to tell anybody what Convergence is or what the Marker does unless they've decided to join the Church. It's what the Marker has asked of us. It wants us to believe in it on faith alone, without logical proof. It needs us to believe it has the best intentions for us without prior knowledge of what that intention is. For you see, that is the ultimate test of faith. To believe in something you know nothing about. To put faith in the illogical. Logic is the folly of humanity. We Unitologists try to overcome logic for a chance at a greater spiritual enlightenment."

_And act like a bunch of mindless sheep in the process._

"That's very profound." I said with false admiration.

"I'm glad you see it that way, Byron." Jenson grinned at me, flashing his yellowing teeth. "But unfortunately, there are far too many citizens of the Sprawl who are driven solely by logic. They believe other faiths based on history and credibility rather than faith. They reject the Marker's ideas and teachings. They believe us Unitologists to be unstable fanatics."

_I wonder why…_

"So what is it you want me to do?" I asked.

Jenson smiled. "In due time, Byron. You shall play your part. The prophet shall rise to perform the will of the Marker. For now, I wish to ask you a favor."

"Sure thing, Admiral."

"I would like to see you demonstrate your abilities firsthand. I'd like to see what you can do."

I stared at him for a moment. This was my chance.

"I need my wand to do that. Without it, I'm useless." I said quietly.

"But of course, Byron. Follow me, and we'll retrieve it at once."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The Admiral first took me to a room that would be my quarters. He persuaded me to change into the traditional white suit of Unitology, which I reluctantly did. I even did my hair in the traditional swoop I'd seen on so many Unitologists. I had to play my part well, after all. Admiral Jenson's compliments on how prophetic and holy I looked, which made me want to gag, was followed by a brief journey through the Unitology Research Facility, all of which was consistently blinding white. Finally, we reached a pair of doors marked "Analysis Lab".

"This is where we analyze anything we can find useful to our cause. This mainly includes any ancient relics or pieces of the sacred Marker. Your wand, along with the other two we've confiscated have been the first new items we've found in years."

I found myself taken aback. "Other two? You've found three wands?"

Jenson smiled. "Now that, Byron, is an interesting story."

The doors opened and the sight that befell me made my jaw drop.

Two men were bound upright, side-by-side, gagged, and hanging limply in the center of a brightly lit white, square room. I recognized the man on the left as Captain Tracy. The one on the right, I didn't know, but I immediately felt a wave of horror at his current state.

The man was wearing tattered engineer clothes, and was smeared in blood, dirt, and sweat. Several open wounds and sores stood shining in the light all over his body. His breathing was ragged and shallow.

At our entrance, the two men looked up at us. Captain Tracy's eyes grew wide as he recognized me. That look in his eyes nearly made me want to break my cover then and there. It was a look of horror, pain, and betrayal. The look of somebody whose one last hope had just vanished.

"These men are both wizards." Jenson said coldly as he stared at them. "They have refused to say a word about their heritage and abilities despite the evidence presented against them. They are not sympathetic to the Church's desires as you are. You are familiar with Mr. Tracy, but I assume you do not know Mr. Mercer here?"

He indicated the filthy and battle-ridden man before me. I shook my head, holding back the urge to rush forward and untie the poor soul. He seemed to be in a lot of pain, and the bindings he was hanging from seemed to be intensifying that pain.

"Well then," the Admiral said, walking to the man and standing next to him. He held out a hand to indicate the man. "This is Marcus Mercer. He is the sole surviving crew member of the U.S.G. Ishimura. He, too, is a wizard. He was found barricaded in the loading bay of the Ishimura when we opened it early this morning. We were going to dispose of him, seeing as he might have been contagious, but then we learned two very important facts. One of which coincided with the discovery of Mr. Tracy and yourself."

The Admiral walked behind the two men to a table that held three, thin, short objects. He grabbed the objects and turned back to me. In his hand, he held all three wands he discussed earlier. I recognized mine immediately.

_So close…_

"Upon discovering the wand on his person, we believed it to be merely a stick. But only ten minutes after his discovery did yours and Mr. Tracy's incident on the shuttle occur. After intercepting you two and confiscating your wands, we realized that Mr. Mercer's mere 'stick' was precisely the same as your wands. However, that was only one of our finds, Byron."

He walked very close to Marcus Mercer and came almost nose to nose with him. I walked closer to hear what he was saying.

"Tell your prophet, Marcus. Tell him what happened on the Ishimura. He interprets the Marker. He will understand."

Marcus stared blankly up at the Admiral, not seeming to register him, nor anything for that matter.

_This poor man…what horrors he must have faced on that ship._

Then suddenly, Marcus began to speak sharply in loud, sobbing screams. His voice was raspy, as if he hadn't used it in years. Then I remembered he probably hadn't, having been trapped on a disease ridden, monster driven ship for two years.

"Th-they're coming for us…they're in my head! They won't leave me alone! Convergence…we must…prepare…for Convergence. The Marker knows all…NO! No, I'm an atheist! I don't believe in any religion! Oh man, what the hell did I do to deserve this? My team! They're all…dead! NO! Stay back you devils! Stay back! I _will _kill you! Get BACK!"

The man kept babbling and sobbing on and on, contradicting himself, while at the same time, flinching and screaming as if something was rushing at him. My heart ached as I watched the tortured soul keep going on and on, talking nonsense and reliving the horrors on the Ishimura.

"What happened to him?" I asked, my sympathy for his trauma reflecting in my voice.

"Something that hasn't happened in years." Jenson said, smirking. "We believe he came into direct contact with the Marker on the Ishimura." He didn't even seem to care that Mercer was under severe trauma. All he cared about was the part of this man that was now a Unitologist. I wanted to kill the monster where he stood.

"Direct contact?" I repeated. "You mean he touched it?"

"Exactly." Jenson said, still smiling.

"What difference does that make?" I asked, confused.

"What difference does that make?" Jenson repeated in absolute incredulity. "My boy, it makes all the difference in the world! Direct contact with the Marker is one of the most sacred ideals in Unitology, though none dare to try it. Documented stories of those who have come into direct contact with the Marker years ago all have horrid, savage endings. These people have their minds merged with the ideals and will of the Marker. The become true Unitologists, desiring _only_ what the Marker desires. But unfortunately, these people are only human. The Marker is too powerful for our brains to fully comprehend. Direct contact always results in madness and eventually, violent suicide. Nobody has been able to figure out why this happens, other than the theory that the Marker's will is just too strong for any human. But somehow, some way…Mr. Mercer here has survived two years with the will of the Marker merged with his own mind."

I listened to Mercer's screams. He seemed to flit back and forth between his Unitologist self, babbling on about Convergence, and his original, atheistic self. There was a severe internal struggle going on in this man's mind, and there seemed to be no clear victor.

"He has a strong will…he's fighting it." I said, looking back at him. "That's why he's still alive. That's why he hasn't completely lost it all…though he's damn near close."

"Indeed he is." Jenson said, looking down at the wands in his hand. "This is where I want to see your abilities tested."

I stared at him. If that meant what I thought it meant, then I was moments away from possessing my wand again. No more with this stupid mask of a new Unitologist. I could take the wand, stun Jenson, release Captain Tracy, and we'd be out of here in a flash! And yet…

I had to try and help this man. The whole point of me being here was to help anybody on the Ishimura. This man survived two years of a living Hell in deep space. The least he deserved was a little help.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"You wiped the memories of Lieutenant Strizer and the rest of the men on that shuttle." He held the three wands out to me. "Quite effectively, I might add. None of our scientists have been able to crack whatever you've done to them. I want you to take your wand, and do it again. Only this time, erase the memories of Mr. Mercer here. Erase every traumatic memory he has from the Ishimura so all that remains is his own personality and his knowledge of the Marker. Then, he will make for an excellent Unitologist prophet, much like yourself."

"Sounds easy enough." I said. I glanced over at Captain Tracy, whose eyes still held that sense of defeat and betrayal.

_Soon, my friend. We'll both be out of here very soon. Hold on…_

I reached out, and gently grasped my wand. The fight-or-flight reflex flared up inside me, but I pushed it back. I needed to help this man. I would wipe his memory, but I would wipe all knowledge of the Marker instead of everything else Jenson wanted me to remove.

"What a momentous occasion this is for Unitology." Jenson said in elation. He stepped back so to watch me carefully.

I sighed and turned to Marcus. He looked up at me with that blank stare. His eyes lingered on my wand. Two whispered, desperate words slipped between his lips.

"Save me…"

"I will, Marcus." I replied. Focusing strongly on what I wanted to erase, I pointed my wand into his face.

"_Obliviate!_"

There was a flash of blue light, and Marcus's face instantly relaxed. He looked up at me with a content look on his face, his blank stare gone. Two clear, blue eyes shone from behind the dirt and blood covered visage. For a second, it appeared to have worked perfectly. The suddenly, his face contorted as if he were in intense pain. He screamed, a high, blood curdling sound that pierced through me like a dagger. He was going into convulsions as he began to spit up blood. Thrashing abut in his bindings, he began screaming words that echoed around the room.

"NO! NO NO NO NO! MAKE IT STOP! _KILL ME! _GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD! _GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD! KILL MEEEE!_"

And then…he fell limp, blood oozing from his open mouth.

* * *

><p><strong>I've learned something today...hospital waiting rooms make excellent environments for writing. You've got hours of quiet, uneventful time to fret away your thoughts. And of course, when your mom's having surgery, it's nice to escape to somewhere else for a while.<strong>

**I believe this is my longest chapter to date. This is more Dead Space information than anything, I suppose, but one of the things I want to do with this story is find out and learn as much as I can about the Marker. What it is, what it does, how it works...it fascinates me so much for some reason. So I'm writing as much as I can to gather the best understanding of the Marker and Unitology possible.**

**If you've stuck around this long, congrats :) I know, that last chapter was a bit long winded...but it's setting up for the main events of the story. We'll learn more in the next chapter!  
><strong>


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